United Independent School District staff outlined a new Bridge Academy pilot at a June workshop that will invite former UISD students who left without diplomas back into a college-based, nontraditional program to recover credits and earn official high-school diplomas.

Why it matters: the program targets former students age 18 to 26 who withdrew before graduating and aims to provide credit recovery, college coursework and workforce certifications while preserving the diploma from the student's original high school.

The Bridge Academy is a tri-party partnership among United ISD, Laredo College and Workforce Solutions for South Texas. Cynthia Ramirez, Executive Director for Nontraditional Learning Environments, said staff identified several hundred former students from 2019 to 2023 and filtered a priority cohort of about 150'' 200 who were closest to graduation. The district sent interest surveys and held meet-and-greet sessions; about 27 of those invited attended sign-up sessions.

The program will be housed at Laredo College South and begin with five classrooms and an office in the Academics and Advanced Technology Building. United ISD will staff a site administrator and seeks three teachers (English, math and a PLP online instructor); staff said reassignments from within the district are possible before new hires.

Students will use a mix of teacher-led remediation and a digital personal learning platform (PLP) for credit recovery; some students may be eligible for dual credit or short-term certifications through Laredo College while working toward a United ISD diploma. Workforce Solutions may help eligible students with childcare, transportation and training support.

Staff estimated the program will generate Average Daily Attendance funding (ADA) for qualifying hours and will be eligible for breakfast and lunch reimbursement. Staff asked trustees to approve campus- and program-level details and to allow the district to post positions and continue partner arrangements.

Ending: administrators said the Bridge Academy will begin enrollment and cohort work this summer and emphasized outreach and partner coordination. "We identified the top 150, 200 students who are in that predicament now and sent an interest survey," Ramirez said. Staff said the program aims to restore diplomas for students who want to return and to provide workforce pathways.